Late bloomer in tennis, octogenarian a force on the court now

George McCabe, 81, returns a serve during his semifinal match Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 during the Super Senior tournament at Payne Park. McCabe is among the top-ranked players in the world in his age division.

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:13 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:13 p.m.

SARASOTA

George McCabe says he fell in love with Barbara Grubbs the moment he saw his future wife more than 60 years ago.

His love for the game of tennis took much longer to develop.

“I saw her during orientation for college. She caught my eye and I told somebody then that I was going to marry her,” McCabe said Thursday afternoon while he and his wife sat side by side at the Payne Park Tennis Center in Sarasota.

The two met at New York’s Concordia State in 1951 and McCabe made certain she didn’t get away. Earlier this month they celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary with a dinner at the Charthouse Restaurant on Longboat Key.

“I have known that woman more than 60 years,” McCabe said.

That is far longer than he knew how important tennis — a game where the word love has a different meaning — would become to him.

Now 81, McCabe didn’t get serious about tennis until he was in his 40s, and didn’t begin to play tournament tennis until much later than that.

Though he initially picked up the game while serving in the military in the Philippines in the early 1970s, his tennis playing was restricted to a couple months in the summer each year while teaching school in Ohio for nearly two decades.

Yet once McCabe turned to tennis as a fulltime sport after retiring in 1996, he quickly made up for the slow start and is now one of the top tournament players in the world in his age group.

“Tennis is truly a lifetime sport,” McCabe says about the game he believes has kept him young.

Currently ranked No. 1 in the 80s in the U.S. in singles and doubles, No. 4 in the world in singles, and No. 2 in the world in doubles, McCabe is playing this week on his adopted home courts at Payne Park in the West Coast Super Senior Grand Prix at Sarasota.

Two weeks ago, McCabe swept through the Super Senior tournament stop at University Park, losing just nine games in three mismatches.

This week McCabe waited five days after the start of the Payne Park tournament to play his first match, then made quick work of Canada’s Brahm Faber 6-0, 6-0 to reach today’s final against Longboat Key’s David Rothgaber.

It is far easier to shrug off delays now that he lives in Sarasota during the winter. The long-time Oxford, Ohio residents bought a home in The Meadows last year and spend their winter months here while George plays the Florida circuit of senior events.

It was tennis that brought the McCabes to the area for the first time in 2002 to play a tournament.

The introduction to Sarasota is easy to remember, says Barbara, because they celebrated their anniversary here by going to a restaurant on Feb. 2.

“That’s 02-02-02. You don’t forget a date like that,” Barbara said.

And George McCabe doesn’t forget the moment his game went from good to great. He happened to pick up a Sports Illustrated magazine with a photo of Roger Federer on the cover. It showed Federer focusing on the point of impact between tennis ball and racket.

“The ball was already gone, out of the photo,” McCabe said. “But Federer’s eyes were still on the point where it would have hit his racket.”

The photo obviously had a huge impact on McCabe.

“I said, ‘That’s it.’ And it changed my game,” McCabe said. “People couldn’t believe it. The minute I started focusing on the tennis ball at impact I started hitting the ball better than I ever had.”

Suddenly he became a terror in the 75-over age division.

Now he has five national titles in singles and eight more in doubles. He has represented the U.S. in an international team event five of the past six years.

“He loves to play tennis,” Barbara says.

Loves it to the point where he plays four or five days a week and competes in three age divisions (65-70-75) in league play.

Affable off the court, McCabe is serious once the match starts. He says he rarely even talks to his opponent once they reach the court.

“But he talks to himself all the time,” Barbara offers.

“I do,” George McCabe admits. “But I rarely hear any answers.”

He lets his game do most of the talking.

McCabe earned honorable mention All-America recognition at Concordia in soccer. He also played three years varsity basketball and was team captain his senior season in college. He played baseball there as well.

McCabe is in the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame and this past year was named to the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame.

And where once he had trouble beating anybody in tennis, McCabe is a champion.

“I used to get whipped a lot,” McCabe says. “I mean everybody used to beat me. You have to pay your dues.”

NOTEStartHe says he gets a chuckle when players come up to him and say, “Geez George, I used to beat you.

<p>SARASOTA</p><p>George McCabe says he fell in love with Barbara Grubbs the moment he saw his future wife more than 60 years ago.</p><p>His love for the game of tennis took much longer to develop.</p><p>“I saw her during orientation for college. She caught my eye and I told somebody then that I was going to marry her,” McCabe said Thursday afternoon while he and his wife sat side by side at the Payne Park Tennis Center in Sarasota.</p><p>The two met at New York's Concordia State in 1951 and McCabe made certain she didn't get away. Earlier this month they celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary with a dinner at the Charthouse Restaurant on Longboat Key.</p><p>“I have known that woman more than 60 years,” McCabe said.</p><p>That is far longer than he knew how important tennis — a game where the word love has a different meaning — would become to him.</p><p>Now 81, McCabe didn't get serious about tennis until he was in his 40s, and didn't begin to play tournament tennis until much later than that.</p><p>Though he initially picked up the game while serving in the military in the Philippines in the early 1970s, his tennis playing was restricted to a couple months in the summer each year while teaching school in Ohio for nearly two decades.</p><p>Yet once McCabe turned to tennis as a fulltime sport after retiring in 1996, he quickly made up for the slow start and is now one of the top tournament players in the world in his age group.</p><p>“Tennis is truly a lifetime sport,” McCabe says about the game he believes has kept him young.</p><p>Currently ranked No. 1 in the 80s in the U.S. in singles and doubles, No. 4 in the world in singles, and No. 2 in the world in doubles, McCabe is playing this week on his adopted home courts at Payne Park in the West Coast Super Senior Grand Prix at Sarasota.</p><p>Two weeks ago, McCabe swept through the Super Senior tournament stop at University Park, losing just nine games in three mismatches.</p><p>This week McCabe waited five days after the start of the Payne Park tournament to play his first match, then made quick work of Canada's Brahm Faber 6-0, 6-0 to reach today's final against Longboat Key's David Rothgaber.</p><p>It is far easier to shrug off delays now that he lives in Sarasota during the winter. The long-time Oxford, Ohio residents bought a home in The Meadows last year and spend their winter months here while George plays the Florida circuit of senior events.</p><p>It was tennis that brought the McCabes to the area for the first time in 2002 to play a tournament.</p><p>The introduction to Sarasota is easy to remember, says Barbara, because they celebrated their anniversary here by going to a restaurant on Feb. 2.</p><p>“That's 02-02-02. You don't forget a date like that,” Barbara said.</p><p>And George McCabe doesn't forget the moment his game went from good to great. He happened to pick up a Sports Illustrated magazine with a photo of Roger Federer on the cover. It showed Federer focusing on the point of impact between tennis ball and racket.</p><p>“The ball was already gone, out of the photo,” McCabe said. “But Federer's eyes were still on the point where it would have hit his racket.”</p><p>The photo obviously had a huge impact on McCabe.</p><p>“I said, 'That's it.' And it changed my game,” McCabe said. “People couldn't believe it. The minute I started focusing on the tennis ball at impact I started hitting the ball better than I ever had.”</p><p>Suddenly he became a terror in the 75-over age division.</p><p>Now he has five national titles in singles and eight more in doubles. He has represented the U.S. in an international team event five of the past six years.</p><p>“He loves to play tennis,” Barbara says.</p><p>Loves it to the point where he plays four or five days a week and competes in three age divisions (65-70-75) in league play.</p><p>Affable off the court, McCabe is serious once the match starts. He says he rarely even talks to his opponent once they reach the court.</p><p>“But he talks to himself all the time,” Barbara offers.</p><p>“I do,” George McCabe admits. “But I rarely hear any answers.”</p><p>He lets his game do most of the talking.</p><p>McCabe earned honorable mention All-America recognition at Concordia in soccer. He also played three years varsity basketball and was team captain his senior season in college. He played baseball there as well.</p><p>McCabe is in the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame and this past year was named to the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame.</p><p>And where once he had trouble beating anybody in tennis, McCabe is a champion.</p><p>“I used to get whipped a lot,” McCabe says. “I mean everybody used to beat me. You have to pay your dues.”</p><p>NOTEStartHe says he gets a chuckle when players come up to him and say, “Geez George, I used to beat you.</p><p>“I say, 'I remember.' ”</p>